Belgrath is one of the ancient cities. Everything built in the metropolis was carved into the rock of the Spine long ago.
The method of the city's making is lost to time, and with even the oldest libraries in Belgrath having no record of the building of the City Center. It is thought that most of the main parts of Belgrath were created not by magics or machines, but rather the careful labor of thousands upon thousands of Dwarves. The intricate carvings and the methodical nature of the buildings themselves reflects true and purposeful craftsmanship.
Whether or not this is true cannot be known, but Belgrath is nevertheless a true sight to behold. A city carved not in the side of a moment, but into the mountain itself. Tunnels, massive caverns, and buildings that rise into the open air truly make Belgrath feel like a city within the mountain.
A constant ambient light glow from the top of the hollowed out caverns, ancient lanterns fueled by Dwarven magic. Even middle city these lanterns glow bright, but within the lost districts they have long since lost their luster.
Despite this, even the parts of Belgrath that lay abandoned by the civilized are something to behold. Much of the metropolis was built in the greatest age of Dwarves, and the architecture reflects this. Every house, every hallway, every little piece of Belgrath was intricately designed and created. The city, even in its current state, is a point of pride for all the Arragoth.
The Gates – Belgrath is a city beneath the mountains of the Spine. It sprawls for many miles in different direction and was designed as a sort of juncture to the many paths that one can take into and out of the Spine itself.
Due to this multiple gates into the city were constructed throughout
the ages. There are officially six gates, though all but two have been permanently sealed and shut. The two gates that are still guarded and operational are those of the Arkath in the North and Irithul in the West. The other four were sealed with rock and stone, left abandoned like much of Belgrath itself.
City Center – Though much of Belgrath now lies abandoned, the city is still home to thousands of Dwarves,
Humans, and a few other species. Most of these residents make their home in what is known as the City center. Just as the name implies, the City center is the very middle of Belgrath.
It is here where the most intricate and beautiful buildings of Belgrath were built and kept. The Council house, the Archive, and dozens upon dozens of Clan strongholds are all located within the city center.
This is also where most of the activity of the city still takes place. Markets, merchant shops, and the renowned Dwarven craftsmen who live and work in the City center. Everything here is still alive and well, the lanterns still glow, the streets are clean and bright, and order seems to be the way of everything.
Middle City – As one might expect, the Middle city gathered it's name due to it's place between the outskirts of Belgrath and the City center. Though not divided from the City center by a wall or any such nonsense, there is a distinct difference between the architecture of the two. Both are beautifully carved and crafted, the Middle city tends to be more spacious and open.
Though held within the same carved caverns as the City center, the buildings in the Middle city are further apart. The streets are wider here, some of the bigger homes have their own walls, and in general everything seems to simply be more open.
During the Expansion era the Middle city was the home of many foreign species, and thus the architecture of the buildings tends to match their different styles.
The Middle city is still somewhat occupied now, though mostly by foreigners who dwell within their ancestral home. This area of Belgrath also houses the professional army of the city, and the training grounds take up a large portion of the eastern side.
Outer City – When the expansion reached its height, the Outer city was born.
It is said that Belgrath never truly ends until one reaches the last mountain within the Spine. Whether or not this is true, the simple fact is that the Outer city reaches extreme limits. Not technically a city itself, the exterior section of Belgrath is really more like a series of forts, holds, homes, and clan manors connected by dozens of maze like tunnels.
Most, if not all, of the Outer city has been completely abandoned for centuries. Even before the collapse some of the Dwarves retreated from this part of Belgrath, and since then things have only gotten worse. Those areas of the Outer city still occupied are most often held by brigands, outlaws, or worse.
Belgrath-Akkar – There is one thing more than anything else that allows Belgrath to survive, and that is Belgrath-Akkar. Located within the City center, Belgrath-Akkar is a massive forge fueled directly by the magma located deep under the Spine.
It is here that the Dwarves work at their craft. Swords, armor, and the famed Siegeworks of Belgrath are all made and created here. Special ores and alloys melded in ways that only the Dwarves know how are crafted into weapons of war, old magics still looming in the air even as the smallest knife is made.
Belgrath-Akkar is the lifeblood of the city, and truly a wonder of the world.